Why do dept stores throw everything away?

Question

Why do department stores throw perfectly good merchandise in the trash instead of donating it?

Answer 1

Because donating merchandise would damage its value.

Answer 2

bad business sense-they could get tax breaks if they would donate instead of trash.guess they dont have problem with throwing money away

Answer 3

What do they throw away? Usually what they don't sell, they send back to the warehouse. Or make it really cheap so it will sell.

Answer 4

they do that?! omg.. i don tknow but thats pretty stupid. they probably take them from the dept stores to warehouses to sell. but if they throw them out thats just dumb.

Answer 5

If its food and someone gets sick they could be sued.

Answer 6

Easier, and they can get money for it.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Answer 7

What do they throw away?  Just garbage.  Merchandise that doesn't sell, is out of season needs to be removed to make room for the new stuff generally gets sent to second-hand stores ie TJ Maxx.  They buy it from other department stores for a fraction of what they paid and sell it for less than it would have been at the other place.  If they don't do that, some will discount it at a very low price just to get rid of it.  Throwing it away would essentially be discarding revenue.  Whoever told you that should get his facts straight.

Answer 8

if you want the merchandise, why don't you say. "Excuse me miss, but if you're just going to throw that away, then can I have it?"

Answer 9

It's a tax write off and it would cost them money to donate in keeping the records.

Answer 10

I have worked at Wal-mart and they throw away food that's a day old, but they usually mark it down and try to resell it. But I think they send them back to their warehouse for different reasons.

Answer 11

If they donated it then why sell it? Why not just put a sign on it "free".

I am surprised the department store you are referring to is not throwing it in a fire or compactor instead of just the trash.

People dumpster dive then sell whatever on ebay or other such places.

Answer 12

their theory is that then people would just wait for the donations.

all places do this.

fast food, restaurants, stores, etc.

Answer 13

Where I live the majority of the chain dept. stores mark down their merchandise on sale racks.  When the stuff is still there unsold, it is donated to local thrift stores where it is usually sold for more than it was marked down to in the dept. store.  Othertimes stuff is sold in lots to mark down stores like dollar stores, and Big Lots.  I've seen many individually owned stores post their wares on Freecycle and Craigslist for free - especially if it's store fixtures.

Answer 14

He-n thumbs up, they are greedy and wan't people to buy buy buy. I've seen it first hand I worked at a videa store in college and they threw away over stock that couldn't be sold.

Answer 15

Its prbobly a tax rite off and they have too.

Answer 16

They dont, they sell it to other stores, such as Ross, Marshalls.

Answer 17

Not only department stores, grocery stores, drug stores and most profit making businesses. It is a tax write-off to dispose of obsolesce items. It cost money, time and labor to warehouse or keep in inventory items that are considered slow movers or just plain obsolete. A lot of times the items look perfectly normal and usable, but it is the bottom line that counts. A question most businesses must ask is, "Is it less expensive to keep or write-off." Most times it is the latter. Sometimes donating is not an option, if you have a trademark item, the donated item could get in the wrong hands and not used properly, there goes your company's stellar reputation or worst a law suit. This could go for food, drugs, toys, clothes etc. So you see it is not always black and white and businesses are not always doing things out of greed.